Advice - horse not tracking up and struggling with lateral work

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dressage_diva

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My 9yr old WB working towards medium level has suddenly had a drop in performance:
- On left rein he is not quite tracking up with right hind
- On left rein he is not flexing his right hock as much he used to and seems to be struggling to really sit in the canter (which has always been one of his strengths)
- General reluctance to work as forwards on the left rein - he will go, but he's not as sharp in the transitions and is hollowing slightly
- When asked to do travers on left rein he is very reluctant and if you push him he rears (he is not a rearer).
- He is sound when trotted up in straight line on concrete, but had very very slight positive response to flexion tests on both hinds.
- Vet agrees he doesn't look right under saddle and also felt it was his right hock.
- We x-rayed both hocks and they are clear.
- X-rayed back and found very mild kissing spines. Injected them with steroids to see if that made a difference and it hasn't (we spent few weeks doing walker/lunge work before trying to ride him)
- Saddle and teeth checked regularly
- Had regular sports massages (6 weekly) until he started not being right
- Chiro agrees he is uncomfortable in back, but doesn't know if that is cause of issues or a symptom
- Given him month off in field and he is still no better - just lunged him and he just doesn't look correct on left rein so not willing to try riding him again.

Trying to work out our next move as my gut instinct is it isn't kissing spines. Vet has suggested we scan his hind suspensories to rule them out as a cause of the issue before considering bone scan to see if kissing spines is active.

What other things should I be considering? I've been wondering about SI problems but not sure how to really go about investigating them? Horse is quite a nervy chap with the vet and we've already had to rule out nerve blocking his back as we wouldn't be able to do that without sedating him (and that defeats the point really). Am open to suggests about things to consider? Horse isn't insured, but I am happy to spend money investigating him but also want to be pragmatic about investigating in a cost-efficient way.
 
I'm assuming you haven't be able to nerve block the right hind either?
From reading your description I was thinking about the same lines as your vet, hind suspensories and scintigraphy, in the cheapest order if not insured. Though equally I might still want to do both in case there is another reason for the hind suspensories to be having issues- ie no point in treating them and then discovering that actually one of the hocks is causing an issue that can't be seen on xray, or an SI issue.
 
My WB gelding sounds just like your lad, Xrayed for KS but when blocked made no difference, we bone scanned and found hot spots on his suspensories, he had 3 lots of shockwave treatment.
 
Thanks both. My gut is telling me hocks/suspensories as his sudden drop in performance reminds me of my old boy when he did his hind suspensories.

We haven't actually tried nerve blocking the hind leg - we might well be able to try that. He's a big lad and a very sensitive chap and was a nightmare to inject his back which is why vet is nervous to try and accurately nerve block that without him being sedated. Will discuss with vet about whether she feels we could safely try and nerve block his right hind (Im also pregnant so not much help in trying to kept him still and under control).

Other things that make me wonder if it is KS, which I forgot to mention in my initial post, is he's always been a fidget to mount (was told about this issue of his even when I bought him). I nipped that in the bud when I bought him and he had been fine until April when it started up again. Got saddler out and we adjusted his saddle and his whole way of going improved even more (he won his first elementary class just days before all of this started!) but he was still being a fidget to mount. He's also not good to load and is significantly worse coming home from a show which I did put down to his quirky nature but now I wonder if it's pain related and it's something about him not liking going up a steep ramp after he's been ridden.

Out of interest how much does a bone scan uusually cost and can they look at multiple areas (eg back and hind legs) in one go?
 
My main thought on the mounting would be that it is possible that any discomfort associated with work/you riding might induce that rather than direct pressure on the spine. Can't help on costs sorry.
 
SI sounds worth investigating to me, from this. I've had 2 horses with SI problems, and one was a result of KS. Struggled in canter eventually, and not tracking up in one hind, generally struggling to push off it.

Bone scane, I have a vague memory of £1200. They can investigate the SI with a an ultrasound.

If you're at all open to alternatives, a holistic vet treated my horse very successfully with acupuncture, chiro (not like other chiropractic treatment he had had!) and an injection (not steroids) in the SI. I also changed his saddle to a semiflex tree and it made an incredible difference.
 
Thanks happy to consider alternative if don't get anywhere with more traditional routes.

Didn't realise could look at SI joint on ultrasound, will get vet to check that too when she does suspensories. Have her coming out to my other horse on Monday anyways so hoping she can fit in my WB too!
 
If you want to PM me at any point, please do!

The ultrasound is internal...! - so I'm not sure how easy it is, but it's sometimes how they guide the injections in that area. Such a trickly area to get to/diagnose.
 
If everything else is coming back clear, I would be thinking of either ulcers and/or hind gut acidosis. What is he fed, what is his routine (in/out), what is your grass like, etc, etc. I've really struggled with one of mine this year with rich grass/high sugars and have had to work really hard to get diet, management and supplements right to get the horse back on track.

It sounds strange but an uncomfortable tummy can result in symptoms similar to lameness.
 
meardsall_millie said:
If everything else is coming back clear, I would be thinking of either ulcers and/or hind gut acidosis. What is he fed, what is his routine (in/out), what is your grass like, etc, etc. I've really struggled with one of mine this year with rich grass/high sugars and have had to work really hard to get diet, management and supplements right to get the horse back on track.

It sounds strange but an uncomfortable tummy can result in symptoms similar to lameness.
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Thanks, I did wonder about ulcers (particularly as he's a natural worrier) but wasn't sure why that would show as a marked difference in way of going on one rein versus the other? Everyone who looks at him agrees there is a huge difference in his attitude and way of going on the left rein versus the right rein.

He is out at night (grass now pretty bare, but was quite high in sugars back in May - he was in field with my 21yr old who has now developed laminitis) with ad lib haylage during the day. He was getting a very small feed of nuts with alfalfa when he was in hard work (was exercised 6 days a week with mixture of schooling and hacking prior to all of this starting), but now doesn't have any hard feed. He is a relatively good doer for a WB and I'd say is pretty much ideal condition (although he's lost muscle having been out of work now for a while).
 
my horse started to lean his back end on the back of the horse box suddenly and his always been a good traveller, I just couldn't work it out he even caused sores and rubbed the hair off a few times, then he started looking short on his left hind and it turned out to be an injury to the suspensory ligament he basically had a hole in it. so I would definitely get the suspensories scanned in your case.
 
Pinkvboots said:
my horse started to lean his back end on the back of the horse box suddenly and his always been a good traveller, I just couldn't work it out he even caused sores and rubbed the hair off a few times, then he started looking short on his left hind and it turned out to be an injury to the suspensory ligament he basically had a hole in it. so I would definitely get the suspensories scanned in your case.
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Thank you, have vet coming tomorrow for my 21yr old laminitic so going to ring the practice in morning and see if she can also scan suspensories of my WB whilst she's there (and if not will get her back out another day).
 
dressage_diva said:
Thank you, have vet coming tomorrow for my 21yr old laminitic so going to ring the practice in morning and see if she can also scan suspensories of my WB whilst she's there (and if not will get her back out another day).
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that's good I think for the price of a scan it's worth doing, in a way it would be good to find something just so you can finally know what's wrong but on the other hand you don't want anything too serious, my horse had prp treatment and 4 months box rest and he came sound which was a bit of a surprise as the vet told me it may not work as he had done quite a job on it.
 
Pinkvboots said:
that's good I think for the price of a scan it's worth doing, in a way it would be good to find something just so you can finally know what's wrong but on the other hand you don't want anything too serious, my horse had prp treatment and 4 months box rest and he came sound which was a bit of a surprise as the vet told me it may not work as he had done quite a job on it.
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I know what you mean - in some ways I'd prefer a suspensories injury to it being KS! My 21yr old did his hind suspensories when he was 16/17 and had shockwave treatment but he never returned to the same level of work as before (stopped jumping and only did very light schooling and mostly hacking) - he's been left with a slightly short stride behind but his age and confirmation didn't really help him. Really hope my WB doesn't have anything major wrong with him - he's a talented horse but tolerant of me being only an experienced amateur (rather than a pro) and I had high hopes that he could one day go PSG :(
 
dressage_diva said:
Thanks, I did wonder about ulcers (particularly as he's a natural worrier) but wasn't sure why that would show as a marked difference in way of going on one rein versus the other? Everyone who looks at him agrees there is a huge difference in his attitude and way of going on the left rein versus the right rein.

He is out at night (grass now pretty bare, but was quite high in sugars back in May - he was in field with my 21yr old who has now developed laminitis) with ad lib haylage during the day. He was getting a very small feed of nuts with alfalfa when he was in hard work (was exercised 6 days a week with mixture of schooling and hacking prior to all of this starting), but now doesn't have any hard feed. He is a relatively good doer for a WB and I'd say is pretty much ideal condition (although he's lost muscle having been out of work now for a while).
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My horse is stuffy when I first get on but then, once warmed up, is fine. Trot work is all fine (excellent in fact - collected, medium, extended, all lateral work), canter tends to be more difficult (due to the movement and how if affects the gut) and on the left rein is the worst!
 
One of mine had similar symptoms, turned out to be PSD. Horse made a full recovery with box rest and shockwave. Good luck, hope you get to the bottom of it!
 
I would say go with bone scan as may highlight other issues?, which if you start investigating individually, will add up? My horse sounded similar to yours - started rearing, slightly lame but intermittent, at medium level. We sent for bone scan which revealed hot spots in neck (he has slight neurological issue, arthritis in neck) and in SI joint too. Could not nerve block him for lameness as needle phobic, so this was preferred option.
 
twodonkies said:
I would say go with bone scan as may highlight other issues?, which if you start investigating individually, will add up? My horse sounded similar to yours - started rearing, slightly lame but intermittent, at medium level. We sent for bone scan which revealed hot spots in neck (he has slight neurological issue, arthritis in neck) and in SI joint too. Could not nerve block him for lameness as needle phobic, so this was preferred option.
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Thanks. Can I ask what your horses prognosis was like and what treatment they had? Did the horse return to the same level of training as before?
 
My horse has Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy - which is often only diagnosed after owners have spent £1000s on lameness etc workups.
Her muscles hurt when she has been on high sugar. My first indication something was wrong was about 6-8 weeks after she was backed when she started refusing to go forward. She'd make the transition willingly enough and then sort of hunch up and shuffle instead of trotting. She also stopped tracking up in trot. Ignoring the 'experts' on the yard who said she was napping and needed a smack I decided to turn her away for 3 weeks to chill out. Worst thing I could have done in hindsight - filled her full of grass and therefore sugar!

When she came back into work she was horrible. An absolute cow to mount, snapping at me whenever I went near her with the saddle, refusing to go into trot full stop. I had her scoped for ulcers - minor ones which we treated - but she didn't get any better under saddle. It was pure fluke I came across PSSM. I was on the Animal Genetics sight looking to test her for CSNB (yup - she's got that as well) and read the PSSM symptoms. Lightbulb moment. At only £35 a test it was probably the cheapest investigation I've ever had done on a horse.

Anyway, 7 months on from diagnosis and we're far from perfect but I do have a young horse that is finally moving forward and mostly enjoying her work. It is the draft ancestry in most warmblood types that can pass on the genes responsible for the disorder. It might be completely irrelevant to your horse but given its only £35 to test I thought I'd flag it!!
 
Thanks SEL - definitely worth considering! Will see what scans show up and if they're inconclusive ask about this. I don't think it is this as he's lived out on the same set of paddocks for a while now and he didn't show any signs of this last spring/summer when grass was sugary and my understanding is that brig genetic it is fairly noticeable from when they are quite young (being 9 I'm thinking he's probably a bit old to suddenly show symptoms).

Appreciate your comments though as I'm open to considering things other than the obvious!
 
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